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.The nearest star to our solar system is 4.29 light years away. How much is this distance in terms of parsecs? How much parallax would this star (named Alpha Centauri) show when viewed from two locations of the Earth six months apart in its orbit around the Sun?
Most Upvoted Answer
.The nearest star to our solar system is 4.29 light years away. How mu...
Distance of the star from the solar system = 4.29 ly
1 light year is the distance travelled by light in one year.
1 light year = Speed of light × 1 year
= 3 × 108 × 365 × 24 × 60 × 60 = 94608 × 1011 m
So, 4.29 ly = 405868.32 × 1011 m
Since, 1 parsec = 3.08 × 1016 m
Therefore, 4.29 ly = 405868.32 × 1011 / 3.08 × 1016  =  1.32 parsec

Now, using the relation,
θ = d / D
where,
Diameter of Earth’s orbit, d = 3 × 1011 m
Distance of the star from the earth, D = 405868.32 × 1011 m
So, θ = 3 × 1011 / 405868.32 × 1011  =  7.39 × 10-6 rad
But, 1 sec = 4.85 × 10–6 rad
Hence, 7.39 × 10-6 rad = 7.39 × 10-6 / 4.85 × 10-6 =  1.52“

Hope it helps!!!
Community Answer
.The nearest star to our solar system is 4.29 light years away. How mu...


Distance in Parsecs:
- 1 parsec is approximately 3.26 light years
- To convert light years to parsecs, we divide the distance in light years by 3.26
- Therefore, the distance of 4.29 light years is approximately 1.31 parsecs

Parallax Calculation:
- Parallax is the apparent shift in position of an object when viewed from different locations
- The parallax angle can be calculated using the formula: parallax angle = arctan(distance to star / distance between Earth positions)
- Given that the distance to Alpha Centauri is 4.29 light years, the parallax angle would be very small due to the large distance
- When viewed from two locations of the Earth six months apart in its orbit around the Sun, the baseline distance is approximately 2 astronomical units (AU)
- Using the formula, the parallax angle would be extremely small, making it challenging to detect with the naked eye

In conclusion, while the distance to Alpha Centauri is approximately 1.31 parsecs, the parallax angle it would show when viewed from two locations of the Earth six months apart would be very small due to the vast distance of 4.29 light years.
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.The nearest star to our solar system is 4.29 light years away. How much is this distance in terms of parsecs? How much parallax would this star (named Alpha Centauri) show when viewed from two locations of the Earth six months apart in its orbit around the Sun?
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